Contrary to popular belief I am not a speed freak. Whenever people learn about my career or the number/type of fast cars that I have driven, they immediately assume that I have an affinity for driving really fast. That isn’t quite the case. I may get a kick out of driving at high speeds but the resultant excitement levels last a very short time.
Feel the force
I am, in reality, a G-force junkie. G-forces, especially those of a lateral nature, come from cornering at high speeds in a vehicle that displays high levels of adhesion with terra firma. And it is that, roller coaster-type, sensation which gives me the biggest buzz. This little fact was underlined most recently when I was lucky enough to score a taxi ride in a two-seater “Formula One” car.
A few days ago I attended the world premier of Pirelli’s new compounds for the 2012 Formula One season. A large contingent of media representatives we taken along to the magnificent Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and after the initial presentations – replete with celebrities including Formula pilots and former Pirelli calendar models – we were invited to partake in several high performance motoring activities .
There were several cars to drive in various arenas, including a Chev Camaro on a drag strip, an Aston Martin Vantage, go-karts and a Renault Laguna on a skid-pan. The highlight of the event, however, was a taxi ride in the Formula One car.
F1x2
In the late 1990s (the now defunct) Tyrrell and Minardi teams collaborated to build a handful of two-seater Formula One cars. The idea, back then, was to expose sponsors and high-paying clients to the high-speed world of Formula One. The exercise worked well, too. At one point these specials were brought to Kyalami for a demonstration race and several guests were privy to on-track racing action.
As those two, once great, teams closed down the cars were snapped up by others. Of those that survive, several have been converted back to single-seat specification to race in historic Formula One events and only five maintain the two-seat configuration.
Real life F1
Of these five cars Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management (ADMM), the controllers of Yas Marina Circuit, purchased two cars which are permanently housed at the racetrack. As part of our activities we were lucky enough to score three laps each.
Many of the mechanics that originally worked on these cars are now associated with this programme so when problems do arise, as is always the case with Formula One cars, they are on hand to repair with very little outside help required.
After a day and half of curtain-raiser activities, it was finally my turn to experience a Formula One car first-hand. We were escorted into the pristine garages were the two cars sat innocuously. A spaghetti-work of umbilical cords was connected to various computer terminals and remote fluid containers.
Unlike a race weekend there was not buzz of activity and the mechanical team were very relaxed. While we were given a brief introduction, unbeknownst to us, the car’s engine was being fired to life. The resultant bark from the Cosworth V10 sent an electrical charge up my spinal cord that made all the hair on my body stand up. Within a millisecond we had all plugged up our ears at the mechanic proceeded to rev up the engine. The note is so harsh as to rattle one’s eardrums.
A short while later, kitted out in full race regalia I was standing alongside the car waiting to be installed into the rear seat. I could hardly believe it; over two decades of being an ardent Formula One follower and finally I was going where few others had ever been.
Line astern
To maintain an ideal mass balance the passenger seat is line astern with the driver. As a result getting into the car is no mean feat. I was instructed where to place my feet, and NOT step onto the barge board while hopping over the high side pod. Once standing on the seat I had to spread my legs and shimmy down until I was completely cocooned in the cockpit. Team members then proceeded to clip together the five-point harness and tighten the belts until I thought I would not be able to move an inch.
Once they had checked on my (relative) comfort levels the team gave the all clear to fire up the engine. As the engine is bolted directly to the monocoque I felt the V10 fire up deep within my being. Every movement of the engine is transmitted straight through the cockpit and so are any movements from Giacomo Ricci’s (the pilot’s) right foot. With a wide grin still forming on my dial the driver set off slowly down the pit lane and I could feel my heart rate escalate in anticipation.
Breathtaking
As we exited the pit lane Ricci gave the brake pedal a few exploratory prods to ensure all was well and with nary a hint of warning banged the throttle wide open. It was the sound, rather than the acceleration that first shocked me. The V10 exploded with a fury that I did not think possible.
The low speed corner sequence that leads onto the long back-straight were negotiated carefully and the moment we were pointing in a straight line Ricci let rip with a flurry of acceleration that was mind-bending. It is not often that one experiences a true sensation of speed once moving beyond take-off but this was amazing. The V10 spent a full 16 seconds with the throttle pinned wide open as we despatched the 1,2 km straight.
Almost more impressive than the acceleration was the braking force. Travelling at just over 300 km/h Ricci slammed on the anchors at the 110 m brake marker, and that was only because he was keep a safety margin in hand for the sake of his passenger.
Blur of speed
The complex of corners that followed were a blur of acceleration, brakes and lateral G-forces. As the car is much older than the current spec Formula One machines the maximum G-forces experienced were just over the 2 mark, which is still more than double what I have previously experienced.
The most phenomenal aspect is how quickly and fuss-free it negotiates ANY corner. Ricci would fling it into a corner I would feel a momentary surge of G-force through my body and neck and then a moment later we were through and pointing down the next straight away.
Three laps as a passenger in a Formula One car disappear in a blur and before your body is even acclimatising to the sensations, or indeed you’ve learned which way the track turns. As we coasted down the pitlane I tried to play back the laps in my head and was left breathless as to how this car accelerates, corners and brakes.
It was just three laps of a shortened Yas Marina circuit that I experienced and when I was extracted from the car my thorax muscles hurt and my race suit was drenched in perspiration. I cannot begin to imagine what Vettel, Hamilton and co experience through the course of a full race distance…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AJUlB-smcZg
Contrary to popular belief I am not a speed freak. Whenever people learn about my career or the number/type of fast cars that I have driven, they immediately assume that I have an affinity for driving really fast. That isn’t quite the case. I may get a kick out of driving at high speeds but the resultant excitement levels last a very short time.
I am, in reality, a G-force junkie. G-forces, especially those of a lateral nature, come from cornering at high speeds in a vehicle that displays high levels of adhesion with terra firma. And it is that, roller coaster-type, sensation which gives me the biggest buzz. This little fact was underlined most recently when I was lucky enough to score a taxi ride in a two-seater “Formula One” car.
A few days ago I attended the world premier of Pirelli’s new compounds for the 2012 Formula One season. A large contingent of media representatives we taken along to the magnificent Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and after the initial presentations – replete with celebrities including Formula pilots and former Pirelli calendar models – we were invited to partake in several high performance motoring activities .
There were several cars to drive in various arenas, including a Chev Camaro on a drag strip, an Aston Martin Vantage, go-karts and a Renault Laguna on a skid-pan. The highlight of the event, however, was a taxi ride in the Formula One car.
In the late 1990s (the now defunct) Tyrrell and Minardi teams collaborated to build a handful of two-seater Formula One cars. The idea, back then, was to expose sponsors and high-paying clients to the high-speed world of Formula One. The exercise worked well, too. At one point these specials were brought to Kyalami for a demonstration race and several guests were privy to on-track racing action.
As those two, once great, teams closed down the cars were snapped up by others. Of those that survive, several have been converted back to single-seat specification to race in historic Formula One events and only five maintain the two-seat configuration.
Of these five cars Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management (ADMM), the controllers of Yas Marina Circuit, purchased two cars which are permanently housed at the racetrack. As part of our activities we were lucky enough to score three laps each.
Many of the mechanics that originally worked on these cars are now associated with this programme so when problems do arise, as is always the case with Formula One cars, they are on hand to repair with very little outside help required.
After a day and half of curtain-raiser activities, it was finally my turn to experience a Formula One car first-hand. We were escorted into the pristine garages were the two cars sat innocuously. A spaghetti-work of umbilical cords was connected to various computer terminals and remote fluid containers.
Unlike a race weekend there was not buzz of activity and the mechanical team were very relaxed. While we were given a brief introduction, unbeknownst to us, the car’s engine was being fired to life. The resultant bark from the Cosworth V10 sent an electrical charge up my spinal cord that made all the hair on my body stand up. Within a millisecond we had all plugged up our ears at the mechanic proceeded to rev up the engine. The note is so harsh as to rattle one’s eardrums.
A short while later, kitted out in full race regalia I was standing alongside the car waiting to be installed into the rear seat. I could hardly believe it; over two decades of being an ardent Formula One follower and finally I was going where few others had ever been.
To maintain an ideal mass balance the passenger seat is line astern with the driver. As a result getting into the car is no mean feat. I was instructed where to place my feet, and NOT step onto the barge board while hopping over the high side pod. Once standing on the seat I had to spread my legs and shimmy down until I was completely cocooned in the cockpit. Team members then proceeded to clip together the five-point harness and tighten the belts until I thought I would not be able to move an inch.
Once they had checked on my (relative) comfort levels the team gave the all clear to fire up the engine. As the engine is bolted directly to the monocoque I felt the V10 fire up deep within my being. Every movement of the engine is transmitted straight through the cockpit and so are any movements from Giacomo Ricci’s (the pilot’s) right foot. With a wide grin still forming on my dial the driver set off slowly down the pit lane and I could feel my heart rate escalate in anticipation.
As we exited the pit lane Ricci gave the brake pedal a few exploratory prods to ensure all was well and with nary a hint of warning banged the throttle wide open. It was the sound, rather than the acceleration that first shocked me. The V10 exploded with a fury that I did not think possible.
The low speed corner sequence that leads onto the long back-straight were negotiated carefully and the moment we were pointing in a straight line Ricci let rip with a flurry of acceleration that was mind-bending. It is not often that one experiences a true sensation of speed once moving beyond take-off but this was amazing. The V10 spent a full 16 seconds with the throttle pinned wide open as we despatched the 1,2 km straight.
Almost more impressive than the acceleration was the braking force. Travelling at just over 300 km/h Ricci slammed on the anchors at the 110 m brake marker, and that was only because he was keep a safety margin in hand for the sake of his passenger.
The complex of corners that followed were a blur of acceleration, brakes and lateral G-forces. As the car is much older than the current spec Formula One machines the maximum G-forces experienced were just over the 2 mark, which is still more than double what I have previously experienced.
The most phenomenal aspect is how quickly and fuss-free it negotiates ANY corner. Ricci would fling it into a corner I would feel a momentary surge of G-force through my body and neck and then a moment later we were through and pointing down the next straight away.
Three laps as a passenger in a Formula One car disappear in a blur and before your body is even acclimatising to the sensations, or indeed you’ve learned which way the track turns. As we coasted down the pitlane I tried to play back the laps in my head and was left breathless as to how this car accelerates, corners and brakes.
It was just three laps of a shortened Yas Marina circuit that I experienced and when I was extracted from the car my thorax muscles hurt and my race suit was drenched in perspiration. I cannot begin to imagine what Vettel, Hamilton and co experience through the course of a full race distance…
